Every Woman Dreams…

The month-long celebration of Jane Austen begins today at Austenesque Reviews with “Recommendation Monday.” What are some of your favorite Jane Austen adaptations/variations/sequels, etc.? Leave your comments for opportunities to win.

http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-recommendation-monday-1.html?showComment=1312204636827#c8996231888641940527

Artist Tracy Ann Lister specialises in creating incredibly life-like baby dolls, a process which is known as “reborning.”

But it is her latest series, inspired by the Harry Potter movie franchise, which is attracting headlines. Lister’s shop on eBay now features a range of baby dolls based on Harry Potter characters – from a cuddly Hermoine to a baby Lord Voldemort that will haunt your nightmares.
Traditional purchases of reborn dolls are older women, who purchase the dolls from online ‘nurseries’ which mimic the process of adoption. The dolls often come with fake birth certificates.
Each doll is painstakingly hand-painted and fitted with real hair and weighted to feel like a human baby.
So if you’ve ever wanted to parent a baby wizard, this may be your only chance.

To see more choices, go to Essential Baby.http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-style/family-entertainment/harry-potter-newborn-dolls-cool-or-creepy-20110722-1htis.html#utm_source=FD&utm_medium=rainbow&utm_campaign=harrypotterremus

One of my favorite writers of Appalachian literature is launching a new book in September. I absolutely love Sharyn McCrumb’s ballad series, especially The Ballad of Frankie Silver and The Songcatcher, but I also used to have fun with Saint Dale (a “retake” of Canterbury Tales, but based on the death of Dale Earnhart). McCrumb is earning money for the Wilkes Community College (Wilkes, NC) with the book’s launch.

The Truth About Tom Dooley
Noted Appalachian Writer Sharyn McCrumb Launches New Book in Wilkes September 12
Story by Anna Oakes

The publisher of The Ballad of Tom Dooley used a photo McCrumb took of the site where Laura Foster was killed in creating the backdrop for the novel’s cover. McCrumb views the high mountains in the background—which cannot realistically be seen from the Wilkes County locale—as symbolic of Foster’s optimistic thoughts about her future just before she was murdered.
“The stories people have been telling all these years wouldn’t stand up to cross examination from a Siamese cat.”
—Sharyn McCrumb, author of the forthcoming The Ballad of Tom Dooley

Author Sharyn McCrumb took this photograph at the site of Laura Foster’s 1866 stabbing in Wilkes County.

McCrumb To Visit Black Bear Books September 13

For those who cannot make the trip to Wilkes County for the offical book launch of Sharyn McCrumb’s newest novel The Ballad of Tom Dooley on September 12, you’re in luck. The author will visit Black Bear Books in the Boone Mall for a book signing on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:00 p.m.

Author Sharyn McCrumb holds the fiddle that belonged to Tom Dula at the Tom Dooley Museum of the Whippoorwill Academy in Ferguson.

A historical marker indicates the site of Tom Dula’s grave. Both Dula and Laura Foster’s burial sites are located off of N.C. 268.

This map was used in the trial of Tom Dula, indicating locations related to the murder of Laura Foster with the Yadkin River serving as the most prominent landmark. Courtesy of Sharyn McCrumb

Ann did it. That’s on page 1. But that’s not the point.

“I didn’t really set out to see who killed Laura Foster,” said Sharyn McCrumb, author of the forthcoming novel The Ballad of Tom Dooley. “What I wanted to know were all the little things that didn’t make sense.”

The celebrated, award-winning Southern writer, author of New York Times bestsellers The Ballad of Frankie Silver and She Walks These Hills, lends her reputation for crafting narratives true to Appalachian culture and history to the most famous mountain murder legend of them all—that of Tom Dula of Wilkes County, hung in 1868 for the stabbing of Foster although many suspected his lover, Ann Melton, of the crime.

It’s fitting, then, that the official book launch will take place on Monday, September 12, at Wilkes Community College, only 15 miles away from the site of Foster’s death. One of the most event-filled releases of any of her books, McCrumb noted, the day will include a seminar, a guided tour of local sites related to the murder story, a banquet, talk and book signing.

For more information, visit http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2011/07-28-11/the-truth-about-tom.htm

Authors, Bloggers, and Publishers in Austenesque Extravaganza

Austenesque Extravaganza begins Monday! Personally, I am scheduled for August 18, and I would love for you to join me on that date. However, there are many more involved in the month long celebration of everything Austen. The authors, bloggers, and publishers that are a part of this event are simply the best in the industry.

(I copied and pasted Meredith’s list from her website. Hopefully, she’ll forgive my “borrowing” her words.) Want to know who these wonderful people are??? Here is the very long list of authors, bloggers, and publishers that are participating in Austenesque Extravaganza. Next week you will see these lovely people writing posts, chatting it up on twitter, and giving away some fabulous Austenesque prizes! (A complete schedule can be found at http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/authors-bloggers-and-publishers-in.html ).

AUTHORS and BLOGGERS
Alexa Adams – First Impressions
Susan Adriani – The Truth About Mr. Darcy
Marsha Altman – The Darcys and The Bingleys Series
Sara Angelini – The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy
Stephanie Barron – Being a Jane Austen Mystery Series
Jennifer Becton – Charlotte Collins
Diana Birchall – Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma
Marilyn Brant – According to Jane
Skylar Burris – Conviction
Jack Caldwell – Pemberley Ranch
Sylvia Chan – Blog Mistress of My Love For Jane Austen
J. Marie Croft – Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge
Barbara Tiller Cole – White Lies and Other Half Truths
Rebecca Ann Collins – The Pemberley Chronicle Series
Victoria Connelly – A Weekend with Mr. Darcy
Barbara Cornthwaite – George Knightley, Esquire Series
Cheryl Cory – Must’ve Done Something Good
Karen M. Cox – 1932
Joan Ellen Delman – Miss de Bourgh’s Adventure
P. O. Dixon – To Have His Cake
Karen Doornebos – Definitely Not Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth Eulberg – Prom and Prejudice
Monica Fairview – The Other Mr. Darcy
Amanda Grange – Diaries of Austen Men Series
Maria Grazia – Blog Mistress of My Jane Austen Book Club
Jan Hahn – An Arranged Marriage
Syrie James – The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
Regina Jeffers – The Phantom of Pemberley
Cindy Jones – My Jane Austen Summer
Nancy Kelley – Blog Mistress of Austen Aspirations and Author of His Good Opinion
Meg Kerr – Experience
Tracy Kiely – Murder at Longbourn
Kaydee Kildow – Blog Mistress of For the Love of Austen and Author of Saving Grace
Sharon Lathan – Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy Series
Lory Lilian – Remembrance of the Past
Kara Louise – Darcy’s Voyage
Gail McEwen and Tina Moncton – Twixt Two Equal Armies
Fenella Miller – Miss Bennet and Mr. Bingley
Mary Anne Mushatt – Darcy and the Duchess
Laurel Ann Nattress – Blog Mistress of Austenprose and Editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It
Vera Nazarian – Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons
Kathryn Nelson – Pemberley Manor
Jane Odiwe – Mr. Darcy’s Secret
C. Allyn Pierson – Mr. Darcy’s Little Sister
Abigail Reynolds – The Pemberley Variations
Laurie Viera Rigler – Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Heather Lynn Riguad – Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star
Belinda Roberts – Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard
Kaitlin Saunders – A Modern Day Persuasion
Mary Sherwood – A Marriage Worth the Earning
Mary Lydon Simonsen – A Wife for Mr. Darcy
Emily C. A. Snyder – Nachtstürm Castle
Isabelle Solal – In the Past Imperfect
Margaret C. Sullivan – Blog Mistress of Austenblog and Author of There Must Be Murder
Mitzi Szereto – Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts
Karen Wasylowski – Darcy and Fitzwilliam
Emma Campbell Webster – Being Elizabeth Bennet
Ola Wegner – Realisations
Linda Wells – Imperative
Lewis Whelchel – Rocks in the Stream
Kerri Bennett Williamson – Sensing Jane Austen

PUBLISHERS
Meryton Press

Sourcebooks

Ulysses Press

Looks like a good group, doesn’t it?

I told my friend Bonnie the other day that I expected the new film by Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom to go to DVD first because it had been a couple of years since it was filmed. It was 2009. Now, the Raleigh-Durham news outlets are reporting just that. This is from

DURHAM (WTVD) — The 2009 movie filmed in Durham starting Colin Firth, Orlando Bloom, Ellen Burstyn, Patricia Clarkson and Amber Tamblyn – to name a few – will be released on video before hitting theaters. “Main Street” will be available to the public in August, a month before its big screen release.According to online articles, the movie has received less than favorable reviews following a screening at Cannes Film Festival.

“Main Street,” is a screenplay written by Horton Foote, who died a month before filming began. He allegedly wrote it after a visit to Durham several years before filming began.

For the full story, visit http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=8274062

Call me a literary geek, but I got really excited when I saw this on Twitter.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/96792/the-road-to-canterbury

Game description from the publisher:

Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Luxury, Idleness, and Envy – the infamous “Seven Deadly Sins”. For the faithful, they instill horror. For you, on the other hand, they present a wonderful business opportunity!

In The Road to Canterbury, you play a medieval pardoner who sells certificates delivering sinners from the eternal penalties brought on by these Seven Deadly Sins. You make your money by peddling these counterfeit pardons to Pilgrims traveling the road to Canterbury. Perhaps you can persuade the Knight that his pride must be forgiven? Surely the Friar’s greed will net you a few coins? The Miller’s wrath and the Monk’s gluttony are on full public display and demand pardoning! The Wife of Bath regales herself in luxury, the Man-of-Law languishes in idleness, and that Prioress has envy written all over her broad forehead. And the naughty stories these Pilgrims tell each other are so full of iniquity they would make a barkeep blush! Pardoning such wickedness should be easy money, right?

Not quite. For you to succeed as a pardoner, you’ll need to do more than just sell forged pardons for quick cash. To keep your services in demand, you will actually need to lead these Pilgrims into temptation yourself! Perhaps some phony relics might help? There is also one big catch. The Seven Deadly Sins live up to their name: each sin that a Pilgrim commits brings Death one step nearer, and a dead Pilgrim pays no pardoners!

So much to forgive, so little time. Will you be able to outwit your opponents by pardoning more of these Pilgrims’ sins before they die or finish their pilgrimage to Canterbury?

Part of Main Street, a new film with Oscar winner Colin Firth, was shot in North Carolina. It is the tale of a dying Southern town which makes a controversial deal with a stranger to save it. I was fortunate to brief meet Firth during its filming. The movie also features Orlando Bloom, Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson, Andrew McCarthy, and Amber Tamblyn. Oscar winner Horton Foote wrote the screen play.

Go to http://collider.com/main-street-movie-trailer/104363/ to see the trailer. (Firth’s and Bloom’s Southern accents are worth the peek.)

Huffpost Books brings us a delightful look at Bill Deresiewicz’s A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and Things That Really Matter. Mr. Deresiewicz says that from Persuasion, he learned
* That true friends tell a person when he mucks up his own life.
* Despite what “When Harry Met Sally” purports, men and women can be friends.

From Sense and Sensibility, he learned
* Committing oneself to another is not an automatic “death sentence.”
* Lust, not love, occurs at first sight.

From Mansfield Park, Deresiewicz offers
* The best gift one can give another is to listen to his “story.”
* Too much money brings misery, not happiness.

From Northanger Abbey comes this advice:
* Just because one thinks up an idea it does not make it so.
* Remain open to new possibilites.

From Emma, he says he learned
* Our opinions of ourselves are not a true gauge of our true worth.
* From gossip comes wisdom.

Finally, from Pride and Prejudice, the gentleman says he discovered that
* Just because one has an opinion, it does not make him correct.
* A bit of humiliation is good for the soul.

To read the full article and check out the scenes from Austen’s novels which accompany each life lesson, visit
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-deresiewicz/jane-austen-life-lessons_b_854579.html#s270254&title=You_arent_nearly

(This post comes from one I did at the Book Boost on July 19, 2011.)
The Jane Austen Method of Pitching with Guest Blogger: Regina Jeffers

Meet author of all things Regency…Regina Jeffers…today at the Book Boost!

Here’s what she had to say about how to pitch your romance novel…

So, you have landed your first pitch session. Now what? To create a pitch for a romance novel, remember to offer a KISS by Keeping It Simple, Stupid. You will have ten-minutes or less to convince an industry savvy agent/editor that your manuscript is exactly for what a publisher searches. Some key points to consider before beginning the process include:

* Do your homework prior to the scheduled pitch. Know something of the publisher or agent. Who else does he represent? How does he view his place in the publishing realm? If it is an agent rather than an established editor, it is a good idea to know the agent’s mailing or web URL, what categories he represents, whether there is a charge for a reading fee, what manuscripts he has placed with publishers, etc.

* Secondly, practice your pitch. This is no time to “wing it.” I am a pantser by nature, but this is not one area in which I would go unprepared. Do you remember Speech 101 back in high school? There was a reason your guidance counselor advised you to take that class. This is that reason. Write out what you wish to say and practice it. Because invariably your nerves will effect what happens in those few short moments, notice that I did not say memorize your pitch. If you memorize the speech, you will leave something out. Practice means to review it over and over. To develop an organization. To make sure your ideas flow.

Within the pitch, one should include the word count, the genre (and subgenre, if necessary), and something of the setting. One might also mention the working title’s significance. Keep in mind, if sold to a publisher, a title change is likely.

In a romance, one must address both the hero and the heroine. Think through what you will say of these characters: adjectives to describe them; their motivations; their goals, and the conflicts the characters face. Be sure to include how the characters must resolve their differences to finally come together, but do not leave out how the antagonist or the circumstances come close to defeating them. Do not ramble on. These points should take no more than 3-5 sentences. Add a sentence or two about your expertise in the area or about your enthusiasm for the story line/manuscript.

The agent/editor may at this point ask you questions about the project. Again, keep your responses to the point. Stay focused on the goal. This is not the time to tell stories of Uncle Horace’s bunions. Respect the agent/editor’s hard earned status in the publishing world by conducting the pitch session in a business like manner. One can offer a friendly attitude without creating a TMI situation.

Finish with a polite “thank you” for the person’s time. Then state the obvious: “With your permission, I would like to send you my manuscript.” Hopefully, the agent/editor will agree. Yet, there is the possibility that he may not. I, personally, prefer to have a second pitch arranged in such cases. If you have not rambled on previously, you will have time for another short pitch. Use your time wisely.

To see the whole article, visit http://thebookboost.blogspot.com/2011/07/jane-austen-method-of-pitching-with.html

The Charlotte Observer reports the following story from its Monday, July 18, 2011, edition. For the complete story visit: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/18/2463676/borders-fate-to-be-decided-this.html#storylink=misearch

Borders’ Group made a move on Monday to liquidate its assets and close its remaining 399 stores. The move could come as soon as this Fridy. Failing to receive any bids to keep it in business, the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based chain, has sought court approval to sell off its assets.

Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Group lead the way as possible liquidators. Borders will head to U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Thursday. If the judge approves the move, liquidation sales could start as soon as Friday; the company could go out of business by the end of September. (Although the news says the local stores may stay open through January, my October book signing at the local Borders, obviously, is in jeopardy. When the events coordinator asked me to bring my own books to the signing, I knew I was in trouble, but I hoped, against hope, that this might not be the outcome for Borders.)

Creditors and lenders recently objected to Najafi Cos.’s $215 million bid to take over the company. They argued the chain would be worth more if it liquidated immediately.

With 10,700 current employees, Borders liquidation could have far-reaching effects. The most obvious is the loss of jobs, but retail spaces will feel the loss, as well. Borders stores average about 25,000 square feet.

“Borders’ move to close 228 stores while it reorganized in bankruptcy protection already increased the collective vacancy rate of shopping centers that contained a Borders to 9.3 percent from 4.2 percent, estimated Chris Macke, senior real estate strategist at CoStar Group, the nation’s largest provider of real estate data. Macke calculated the liquidation of the rest of the chain could increase the vacancy rate on that same basis to 18.8 percent.”

“Additionally, Simba Information senior trade analyst Michael Norris predicts the closing could cause sales of electronic books to fall. Borders, for one, entered the electronic book market with Canada’s Kobo Inc. last year. Owners of the Kobo e-reader will still be able use Kobo software to buy and read books. And Kobo officials said users of Borders e-book accounts, which began transitioning to Kobo in June, will be able to access their e-books uninterrupted.”

“At its peak, in 2003, Borders operated 1,249 Borders and Waldenbooks, but by the time it filed for bankruptcy protection in February that had fallen to 642 stores and 19,500 employees. Since then, Borders has shuttered more stores and laid off thousands.”